Battle of Bannerman Road
by Rucasofcamelot
Summary: The sequel to my previous story Slitheen at Oxford. Sky Smith has been dreaming of the Trickster, despite never having actually encountered him. To the horror of all, the Trickster instilled an essence of himself in Sky at the moment of her creation, and with his growing power, he plans to use her to get his revenge. Based on some of the notes for the s5 finale.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 1

Nightmares

She saw him again that night. A single entity surrounded by darkness, cloaked by the blackest night itself. Sky could just see under the hood, and what she saw made her open her mouth in a soundless scream: pale flesh with eyes stitched closed and rotten shark- like teeth. It was a force made entirely of terror.

The horrible thing opened its mouth as if to speak. Sky heard ragged breathing that froze her heart.

Then her eyes opened. She stared up at her bedroom ceiling, lit by the pale beginnings of dawn sifting through her window. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a dream! Though, admittedly, a dream she'd experienced a lot lately. Sky remembered hearing stories of similar dreams from her brother Luke. She wondered if this was anything like those... Best to ask Sarah Jane.

Sky lay awake until the sun had decently risen, too afraid to go back to sleep. Once she determined her adopted mother would be awake by now, she jumped out of bed and hurried downstairs in her pajamas.

Sarah Jane Smith was in the kitchen, sipping coffee next to her laptop, no doubt working on her latest article, even as early as it was. She beamed as Sky entered the room. "'Morning! Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Not really," Sky admitted. She then proceeded to tell Sarah Jane all about the dream she'd been having, putting extra emphasis on the monster that haunted it. She noticed Sarah Jane's face grow steadily darker with every word, which told Sky she'd been right to be suspicious of the dream.

Sarah Jane abruptly stood up, as if the sound of Sky's words sent a charge through her. "Skye, the creature you just described sounds exactly like the Trickster!"

The name sparked something in Sky's memory. "You've talked about him before. He's an alien that's tried to use you to take over the world."

"Several times over," Sarah Jane added. "It concerns me that you're dreaming about him... Especially since the last time we faced him was before you were even born." She pondered for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision. "Come on, let's go see Mr. Smith."

Sarah Jane and Sky rushed up to the attic. "Mr. Smith, I need you!" Sarah Jane called. The far wall opened up with a _whoosh_, revealing the super- computer hidden inside.

"How can I be of assistance, Sarah Jane?" the alien computer known as Mr. Smith asked.

"Sky has been experiencing strange dreams of late revolving around the Trickster," Sarah Jane explained. "I want you to run a brain scan on her, just to check that everything is okay."

Skye felt an electric surge surround her as Mr. Smith completed his reading. Her heart beat with fierce anxiety at the thought of what his diagnosis might be.

"Sky's brain is certainly in an unusual state, and not just because of her alien nature. There appears to be an excess amount of brain energy, like an extra layer."

Sky looked at her mother fearfully. "What does that mean?"

Sarah Jane stared at the computer. "Yes, Mr. Smith, what _does _that mean?"

"It means that if I am correct, there is another sentient being in Sky's head."

Sarah Jane put her arm around Sky's shoulder protectively. But Sky knew she couldn't protect her from the alien somehow in her mind. The Trickster.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 2

Homeward Bound

"Now I _really _have to pack!" Luke persisted as he moved to leave Sanjay's room. His boyfriend playfully grabbed Luke's arm and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm really going to miss you," Sanjay said with a pout.

Luke couldn't resist smiling. "I'll just be gone for the long weekend. See my mum. My friends. Mr. Smith."

"That's the talking supercomputer, yeah?" Sanjay asked.

"That would be Mr. Smith."

Sanjay's eyes lit up as if he'd suddenly been struck with a brilliant idea. "Luke, I've got it! Why don't I come with you?"

Luke felt both intrigued and alarmed at this idea. "I don't know..."

"Come on, please!" Sanjay said again, once more putting on that irresistible pout. "I've never got to meet your mum and friends, which is a bit weird since we've been together for nearly two months."

Luke nodded, his heart racing at the idea of introducing Sanjay as his boyfriend. He turned away, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, and not quite sure why. No... He knew exactly why.

"Luke, what is it?" Sanjay asked.

Luke looked back at the other boy. "It's just that I'm not sure how they'll react to me, you know, having a boyfriend. Well, I'm sure my mum and Rani and Skye would be okay with it. Who I'm not sure of is Clyde. The last year we went to school together, there was this boy called Mark. He'd recently come out as gay and it spread around the school pretty quickly. Some kids didn't mind, others definitely did, and I think Clyde was in the latter category. I mean, he wasn't downright horrible to Mark, but he made it clear how weirded out he was by the idea."

Sanjay thought about that for a few moments, then took Luke by his hands. "If you're not ready to come out, I understand. Honestly. I'll stay here and see you when you get back if that's what you really want."

At that moment, Luke realized that _wasn't _what he really wanted. He wanted Sanjay with him, and he especially wanted his loved ones to know the truth about this part of his life, even if he was horrified at their reactions.

"No," Luke finally said. "Come with me."

Sanjay beamed. "Really?"

"Really," Luke replied.

Sanjay lunged forward and kissed Luke full on the mouth, wrapping his arms tightly around the smaller boy. Luke, for his part, clutched Sanjay's shirt, returning the kiss in full, relishing in the softness of his boyfriend's lips and the strong scent of peppermint that coated his breath.

The two boys finally separated. "Well, then... We'd better get packing, then!" Luke said with a chuckle.

Clyde and and Rani burst through Sarah Jane's front door, finding the woman herself in the living room, her arms wrapped around the shoulder of her daughter as she tried to console her.

"Sarah Jane, what's happened?" Rani demanded. "You sounded urgent on the phone."

Sarah Jane proceeded to explain to the pair about the new situation. Beside her, Sky began shaking. Sarah Jane sensed her fear like an instinct, holding the young girl all the tighter.

"This is mad!" Clyde exclaimed. "What do we do?"

"I have Mr. Smith working on it," Sarah Jane replied. "There must be some way to rid the Trickster from Sky's mind. How he got in there is a mystery all on its own, though..."

Suddenly, the door opened and K9 came rolling through. Steps behind the robot dog walked Luke and a tall Indian boy.

Clyde exhaled deeply. "Luke! Mate, it's good to see you."

Luke smiled around at them all. "I'd like to introduce you all to someone. This is Sanjay!"

"Oh yeah," Rani said. "You told us he knows all about us now, thanks to the Slitheen."

Luke fidgeted. "Yeah... I didn't tell you everything, though." He noticed Sky, whose was shaking more and more by the second. "Sky, what's wrong?"

Without warning, Sky let loose a scream to wake the dead, and with it all the power in the house went off.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 3

Rise of the Trickster

"SKY!" Sarah Jane cried.

Everyone stared at the young girl. Sky had stopped screaming, but stared back at her friends and family with a blankness in her eyes that sent a chill down Sarah Jane's spine. Nearby, Rani and Clyde instinctively grabbed each other's hand, clinging to each other for support.

Sky grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "I am... Free!" She said in a voice that was unlike her own. It carried a deeper and colder tone.

"Trickster!" Sarah Jane gasped.

"I knew this girl would come in handy," the Trickster said. "I sensed her power and instilled an essence of myself within her at the moment of her birth. Then I tricked that silly Time Lord to bring her right here, to the home of my old friend Sarah Jane Smith. Then it was merely a game of waiting for my power to increase to take over completely."

Something he said struck a chord with Sarah Jane. "Time Lord? Do you mean the Doctor?"

The Trickster ignored her. "One gift Sky Smith had in particular came off as vital: her power of electricity, unstable at best, but with my influence stronger than ever."

"Why did you need that power?" Luke demanded.

The Trickster did that creepy smile again with Sky's mouth. "I needed a reset." He raised Sky's arms and Sarah Jane felt the air around her energize. The electricity came back on. "I would advise you run," the Trickster told them. "I think you'll find the entity Mr. Smith is no longer on your side."

Then Sarah Jane understood. A few years ago, not long after she'd adopted Luke, she had discovered Mr. Smith had plans to cause devastation in the world. They'd managed to defeat him, Luke reprogramming him to be good. But if the Trickster reset Mr. Smith back to his original programming...

"This isn't over!" Sarah Jane snapped at the alien. She fled from the house, the others chasing after her. Sarah Jane hated herself for running away, but knew she was in no shape to take on Mr. Smith and the Trickster.

They retreated from Bannerman Road, Luke, Sanjay, and K9 following in Luke's car. Sarah Jane stared ahead, her stomach turning at what had happened to her daughter.

"Sarah Jane," Rani said cautiously from the passenger seat. "What now?"

"We're going to need reinforcements," Sarah Jane explained. "With Mr. Smith, the Trickster has incredible power. Mr. Smith could hack into any computers. He could destroy the world if he wanted!"

"It almost happened once before," Clyde told Rani. "Before you got here. It was a close call, too. One of our closest..."

"There's only one organization on this world able to take on this threat," Sarah Jane continued. "We're going to see U.N.I.T."

The group easily made it through U.N.I.T security, Sarah Jane having a lot of clout with the government alien- fighting agency. They sat around in a bland office waiting for someone to see them. They were quite an odd mix of visitors: an older woman, four teenagers, and a robot dog.

Finally, the door opened and a middle- aged blonde woman walked in. She smiled surprisingly warmly at Sarah Jane (surprising because U.N.I.T agents weren't exactly known for their warmth). "Good afternoon," the woman said. "Well, from what I've heard, it hasn't been that good. My name is Kate Lethbridge- Stewart. Miss Smith, I believe you knew my father."

Sarah Jane stepped forward. "Please, call me Sarah Jane," she said in a friendly tone. "And yes. The Brigadier was someone I cared for very much."

Kate smiled bashfully. "Thank you... Sarah Jane. I know you've had a long day, so I'll have you shown to your rooms. Tomorrow we can discuss the plan of attack."

Luke and Clyde were given rooms right next to each other. Luke longed to go check on Sanjay, but first he needed to check in on one of his oldest friends.

"Mad, isn't it?" Clyde asked. "This whole thing with Sky and the Trickster. I can't get my head around it."

Luke nodded in agreement. He felt sick with worry for his sister. "We'll find a way to save Sky... I know it."

"We've done the impossible before, eh?" Clyde shot back with a cheeky grin. "By the way, that mate of yours seems cool. Sanjay."

Luke knew now was the time to fill Clyde in. With a pounding heart, Luke began to tell the truth. "Actually, Clyde... The thing is, Sanjay isn't my mate. He's... Well, he's my boyfriend."

Luke waited with bated breath as his friend's face widened in shock. The other boy seemed to be struggling to find words, like a fish out of water. "Boyfriend? As in romantic boyfriend?" He finally got out.

Luke had to resist the sudden urge to laugh. "Yes, Clyde. We're a couple."

"Oh... Uh, WOW! I really didn't see that one coming!"

"You're okay with it?" Luke asked.

Clyde stood up. "Of course, mate. You're the coolest guy I know, gay or whatever."

Luke grinned back at Clyde, feeling like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

"Ah! I do so enjoy touching moments like these."

Luke spun around. Suddenly in his room was a tall dark- skinned man wearing African- style clothes and head- dress. On the man's shoulder sat a green parrot. He stared back at Luke and Clyde with dark brown eyes filled with a mixture of inquisitiveness and a hint of what Luke thought might be regret.

"It's you!" Clyde shouted incredulously. "The Shopkeeper!"

"That's not actually my name," the man said. "It is time the truth came out. I am the Corsair. A Time Lord. And all of this is my fault."


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 4

The Corsair

Everyone gathered in the presently- empty cafeteria. Sarah Jane stormed in, her eyes pinpointed on the Corsair like lasers. She was already high- strung because of the situation with Sky, but this only really added to that. The mysterious shopkeeper had once sent Sarah Jane, Clyde, and Rani on a dangerous mission through time, then offered next to no explanation. Now he was here saying that what was going on with Sky was his fault! Sarah Jane wasn't going to leave him alone until she got answers.

"How did you get in here?" Kate demanded of the man.

The Corsair waved the question aside. "While U.N.I.T security is a step up for the human race, it is no match for a Time Lord."

"There is only one Time Lord left," Sarah Jane said, bewildered. "Everyone but the Doctor perished in the Time War."

"That isn't quite true," the Corsair said. "There were actually three survivors: the Doctor, the now- defeated Master... And me." The man sighed. "The Time War was a terrible time. I'm sure you've heard all about it from the Doctor. After the destruction of Galifrey, we both ran. I made the decision to help out where I could, but unlike the Doctor, I decided to take a more subtle approach. It is why I chose you, Sarah Jane, to take on that mission at my shop."

"So what does any of this have to do with Sky?" Rani asked.

The Corsair looked as if he wanted to just disappear, but he continued. "The Trickster did what he does best: he tricked me. Toyed with my mind."

Sarah Jane remembered her last encounter with the Corsair. "Of course! You're the one who left Sky on my doorstep!"

"It was all a part of the Trickster's plan! I'm sorry, Sarah Jane."

"It isn't your fault," Sarah Jane assured him. "You aren't the first person fooled by the Trickster."

Kate coughed to get everyone's attention. "U.N.I.T has been working on a project that may be to our advantage in this situation. If you'll follow me, I can show you..."

Kate led the group a short distance, putting in a code which caused the door facing them to slide open. On the other side were several complicated computers circled around two large metal beds. The beds were connected by some sort of tube. Resting on each was a helmet.

"What are those things?" Rani asked.

"Machines built for alien mind- control scenarios," Kate explained. "You see, even when someone is being controlled their consciousness is alive, but buried deep within their head. We put the controlled person to sleep, install them in one bed, then put someone else in the opposing bed. With these machines, their brainwaves are connected. The person in the other bed can enter the controlled person's mind, hopefully bring them back from the depths."

"Brilliant!" Clyde exclaimed. "But... First we need to get Sky."

"And she's guarded by Mr. Smith," Sanjay added.

"I'll send a force into Bannerman Road to capture her," Kate said.

Sarah Jane dashed forward. "I'm going as well! I'm her mother."

Kate knew better than to oppose. She was well aware of Sarah Jane Smith's reputation. "Very well. Let's get prepared."

As often as aliens attacked, Sarah Jane was amazed at how few times armored vehicles rode into Bannerman Road. They did now, with Sarah Jane riding with a young tawny- headed soldier called Fitz. She looked out at her approaching house, still disbelieving at the fact that she was about to invade her own house in order to capture her daughter!

"Are you ready?" Fitz asked gently.

Sarah Jane was tempted to say no, but no matter how anxious she felt she had to save Sky. No matter what it took.

"Yes," Sarah Jane said. "Let's get my daughter."

The vehicles stopped a ways from the house. Soldiers jumped out, fully armored themselves and cradling large guns. Sarah Jane frowned. She hated guns.

"Stay near me," Fitz whispered.

The U.N.I.T troops lurked in the bushes as they made their way to the front door. Sarah Jane could only imagine what this would look like to the neighbors. Granted, they've probably seen stranger around here.

The lead soldier attempted to kick open the front door, but was pushed back by the invisible force field Mr. Smith had no doubt put up.

"Pardon me!" Sarah Jane called, dashing forward and digging into her jacket pocket. "Let me handle this." Sarah Jane pulled out her sonic lipstick, twisted it, and pointed it at the door. She tried the handle and the door opened easily.

The soldiers burst into the house. Sarah Jane expected the Trickster to have put up new defensive weapons, but all that stood there was Sky, standing in the middle of the family room. Sarah Jane felt sick at the sight of all these grown men and women pointing their guns at her daughter.

Sky stared back at Sarah Jane. "What do you hope to accomplish by this?" She asked, with a smug smirk. "You won't kill me, Sarah Jane Smith."

"No," Sarah Jane said. "But I can send you off to a nap."

Fitz fired his gun. But instead of a bullet, a tranquilizer dart burst out, aimed right for Sky. Sarah Jane dared to hope they succeeded, but Sky raised a hand and several bolts of electricity burst out from her fingertips, obliterating the dart.

The little girl raised her hands higher as several soldiers fired at once. Electricity filled the room, so intense that the men were thrown back and a nearby lamp was shattered. Sarah Jane plucked a fallen gun from the ground and sneaked up behind Sky as she wreaked carnage on the U.N.I.T soldiers.

"Trickster, stop!" Sarah Jane cried, firing her gun. Sky whirled around, about to stop her attack... But she wasn't quick enough. The tranq dart pierced the side of her neck. The Trickster tugged the dart, staring at it disbelievingly. Moments later, she fell to the floor, suddenly looking like the peaceful little girl Sarah Jane wished she could be.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 5

Mental Link

Rani looked through the glass panel, into the room where an unconscious Sky was strapped down and hooked up to the machine Kate Stewart had shown them. It disturbed Rani to see; asleep like this, you'd never know she was being controlled by the Trickster.

Rani felt a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" Clyde asked.

"Not really," Rani replied. "I'm really scared for Sky. For all of us, really."

"Same here," Clyde agreed. "But this isn't our first showdown, and we've always come out okay before."

Clyde hugged her tightly. Rani wrapped his arms around his back, feeling secure and assured in his arms. They stepped back slightly and Rani looked down into his eyes. She'd fought the feelings for him for so long, but with everything going on, she found she no longer wanted to. She kissed his lips lightly.

For once, Clyde was speechless. Rani laughed. "If we survive all this, we'll do that again. Deal?"

Clyde grinned. "Deal."

At that moment, Kate Stewart appeared, leading Sarah Jane, Luke, Sanjay, and a female assistant who wore hipster glasses and a large and colorful scarf.

Kate looked at the gathered group. "There's one last thing you should know. These machines are relatively new. We need an especially powerful brain in order to withstand it. I don't believe most human minds could stand the link."

Everyone gaped at her.

"That would have been a really good thing to have told us ages ago!" Clyde shouted.

"No, no, it's okay," Luke said. "If any brain can withstand it... It's mine."

"Luke, that's a huge risk!" Sanjay protested.

"Sanjay's right," Sarah Jane said. "We don't know what it'll do to you."

"We do know that if I don't at least try, Sky and the entire world is done for," Luke reminded them.

Sarah Jane wanted to protest further, but she knew Luke was right. She flung her arms around Luke and held him tighter than ever before.

"I love you," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, Mum," Luke whispered back.

Kate led them into the room, and Luke went to lay down on the machine next to Sky's. He felt a hand grab his and he looked up into Sanjay's unusually shiny eyes.

"You'd better come back to me, Luke Smith," Sanjay said.

Luke tried for a reassuring smile, despite the worry threatening to overwhelm him. "I will." He kissed Sanjay once more before lying down on the table. Kate's assistant began hooking him, putting the helmet on his head that was connected by a long cord to Sky's helmet.

"I'm going to give you a sedative that will put you to sleep," the woman explained to him. "At that point, your sub- consciousness should be connected to Sky's."

She injected him with the sedative. Luke began to mentally count down from a hundred, gazing with an increasingly bleary- eyed expression at the people he loved most. Then his mother and friends were gone and darkness overtook him.

Luke opened his eyes with only a faint light to guide him through the dark blank corridors. He walked down the hallway, the only sound being the light bang of his trainers hitting the metal floor.

"Hello?" He called, his own voice echoing back at him.

"Luke..."

Luke whipped his head in the direction of this new voice. Sitting with her knees up to her chin in a tiny alcove in the wall was Sky, her eyes oddly and disturbingly blank.

Luke crouched down, placing a cautious hand on his sister's shoulder. "Sky? It's me. It's Luke. Listen, your body has been taken over by the Trickster. But you can fight him. Only you can fight him!"

"You're wasting your time."

Luke twisted around. Standing a short distance away was the Trickster himself, dressed in a long black cloak, his hood pulled up so far that Luke couldn't even see his faceless features. Luke felt a chill go down his spine, but forced himself to tear his eyes away from the alien and focus on his sister.

He grabbed her hand. "Sky, listen to me, please! You are strong enough to fight him. This is your mind. All you need to do is force him out. Borrow my strength. You can do this, Sky!"

The Trickster laughed; a high- pitched, bone- freezing type laugh.

"SKY!" Luke cried.

Sky blinked. She looked from Luke to the Trickster, then slowly stood up, holding tightly to her brother's hand.

"You cannot defeat me," the Trickster growled.

"I can," Sky said forcefully. "This is my head. And I'm telling you to GET. OUT!"

Sky let loose a torrent of energy, aided by Luke's own strength. The Trickster fell back, his long cloak billowing as if caught in a strong gust. He released one last terrible scream before disintegrating before Luke and Sky's eyes.

Luke bolted upright. In the machine next to him, Sky had done the same. Sarah Jane dashed forward, stretching out to take both her children by the hands.

"Oh, you're both okay! Thank goodness." Sarah Jane cried.

Luke grinned in his sister's direction, who smiled back. "Yeah, we are!" Sky said happily. "He's gone, Mum. I can feel it! The Trickster's gone for good."


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: __I don't own any of this!_

Chapter 6

The Smiths

Sarah Jane entered the attic, followed by Luke, Sky, Clyde, Rani, Sanjay, and K9. Mr. Smith was on and waiting; Luke had managed to reset him again.

"I am glad you did not try to kill us, Mr. Smith," K9 said.

"Thank you, dog."

Rani smiled. "Aw! It's so nice to see you two getting on." She slid her fingers into Clyde's, which elicited a huge grin from Luke.

"So does this mean Clani is official?" He asked. Clyde made a funny face in his direction in response.

Sarah Jane laughed, looking back at her friends and family happy and together before her. She reflected on how she'd spent so many years alone. Then Luke and Maria had come into her life, and it had just gone from there, along with so many adventures, right here on Earth. And somehow, Sarah Jane knew there would be many more.


End file.
